Movement Re-organisation We don’t tend to pay a lot of attention to how we organise ourselves to move; you have probably been instructed to lift heavy things with a straight back and bent knees, and most of us have discovered how ineffective it is to be told to “sit up straight!”, but that is probably the extent of the functional advice the majority of us have been given in our lives. However there are hundreds of ways to improve how we go about our everyday actions - sitting, standing, reaching, leaning, bending, rolling over in bed, the list is endless - by increasing our awareness of our muscles and our skeletal structure, and how they can be organised to work more efficiently together. Gentle and Effective Learning This learning process helps us to release ourselves from long-term, chronic muscle tensions that distort our posture and make it difficult to do the things we used to do with ease as children, and it also shows us how to maintain those improvements by incorporating what has been learnt into our daily lives. The most wonderful thing about the Feldenkrais Method® is that although the potential for change is great, the movements employed for the purpose are slow and subtle, avoiding extremes, and are therefore suitable for people unable to handle more strenuous bodywork methods. Awareness Through Movement group classes are so gentle that they are popular with M.E. sufferers. Improving Posture Improvements can be achieved quickly with this method, but obviously posture problems that have taken many years to develop don’t disappear overnight - that kind of change necessitates long-term commitment and “homework”. Because the work involves hands-on stimulation of the nervous system, via the skeleton, it is effective for serious conditions like Multiple Sclerosis, Cerebellar Palsy or Parkinson’s Disease - not by providing a “cure”, but by making everyday life easier and less painful. It is particularly ideal for locating and eradicating the causes of Repetitive Strain Injury (R.S.I.). Learning How To Learn We tend to notice quickly when other’s assumptions and certainties are interfering with the openness of their minds; it is much less easy to be aware of how our own beliefs are limiting our possibilities. There is magic in the suspension of certainty - the ability to simply observe and wonder a little, putting what you already know on hold. Feldenkrais knew that most human cultures privilege doing things “correctly” and so he included in his teaching method processes designed to guide his students away from the inflexibility of knowing the one right way to do something. We each function as a human nervous system in gravity, and consequently there are movement potentialities those of us who are healthy all share, but we are each also a unique expression of the possibilities inherent in our individual structure, and our differences can bring with them certain advantages; shortness is an advantage for professional jockeys; the mesomorph tends to have greater upper body strength, hence the broad shoulders and narrow hips of most professional boxers; many of the loose-jointed become dancers or gymnasts, and, as with professional models, they also tend to have the narrow-build of the ectomorph. Awareness Through Movement classes and Functional Integration one-to-one lessons are tools to enable the student to become aware of rigidities of mind AND body - indeed it is only the fundamental inaccuracies of our language that encourage the limiting idea that these aspects of ourselves are in any way separate from each other. Benefits Because the efficient functioning of the nervous system - revealed in improved posture - is so fundamental to our health, the benefits are widespread, including: Pain Relief Stress Reduction Relief from chronic muscle tension and spasms Improved breathing Increased flexibility, agility and grace Increased energy Improved sexual functioning The Method is for you: * If you suffer from restricted movement or pain * If you suffer from respiratory problems, fatigue or anxiety * If you want to increase your vitality and well-being * If you want to become more graceful and agile * If you are a performer wishing to refine your art and improve your skills * If an injury has disturbed the way your body functions * If you are involved in sports or movement teaching * If you wish to enhance your personal process of self-discovery and self-awareness * If you have suffered brain injury, or a disturbance of the nervous system Functional Integration (FI): Private lessons in the Method I am available for one-to-one, hands-on Feldenkrais sessions (called Functional Integration lessons). In an F.I. lesson you lie fully-clothed on a low table as your teacher’s hands gently support you, suggesting, encouraging and guiding you towards new ways of moving and organising yourself. Each lesson is unique and designed specifically for you. It is important to wear loose, comfortable clothing (jeans are not recommended). The initial session is slightly longer to allow for the taking of a brief history, but F. I. lessons are usually an hour long, including time for discussion before and after the hands-on session, and homework - i.e. special movements to explore at home, tailored to your needs and movement goals. For private lessons, please contact Maggy Burrowes. Awareness Through Movement (ATM): Classes and Workshops An ATM lesson is a organised sequence of related movements, put together in such a way as to guide you through a process of new learning and self-discovery. As your teacher talks you through the lesson, you learn to focus your attention on your internal sensations, and to use this new awareness to release chronic muscle tension and create new movement possibilities for yourself. Lessons usually take place on the floor or in a chair. Each new movement is repeated several times to enable your nervous system to become familiar with the new pattern. You may well find yourself doing something with ease that you haven’t been able to do for years. As Feldenkrais teachers, our modus operandi is to encourage play, exploration and discovery as the most effective learning tools for life. Classes and Workshops